LeBron James no longer considered top basketball IQ player around the league by NBA executives

Philadelphia 76ers

At 41 years old, there's no denying that LeBron James is no longer the one-man army he used to be in his prime. But The King has aged gracefully, using his outstanding basketball IQ, ball handling skills, and knowledge of the game to continue making an impact.

For a very long time, James was the unquestioned "smartest" basketball player in the NBA. He has always picked out the right pass, even if it means foregoing a shot of his own. He's an assist machine who shouldn't be such a good ball handler and distributor at his size. Even heading into the 2026-27 season, he's still considered a Top 2 basketball IQ player in the league, but he's been surpassed.

Nikola Jokic voted as the smartest player in the NBA by general managers, ahead of LeBron James

The NBA recently conducted a survey of 48 questions posed to every general manager around the league. The questions ranged from who will win this season's NBA Finals to who is the best international player not in the NBA. But one question that got many peoples' attention was, "Which player has the best basketball IQ?" Only one player beat out James: Nikola Jokic.

In fact, Jokic and James were the only two players to receive votes. Jokic took 67% of the votes, leaving James with 33%. Jokic also won that vote last year with 80%, so James actually made up some ground in his final season with the b.

Even James himself would tell you that no one reads the game like Jokic does. The three-time NBA MVP is arguably the best passer in the league, and he's a 6-foot-11, 284 pound center. What's clear is that Jokic and James stand out among their peers in a big way in that regard.

• Lebron James
• Philadelphia 76ers
• Denver Nuggets
• Nikola Jokic